Two members of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors on Wednesday proposed sweeping reforms that could end up on the November ballot.
The proposals include expanding the size of the board from five to nine, making the county CEO an elected position, and creating an independent ethics commission.
Where things stand today
The Board of Supervisors is a powerful panel that controls the county’s $45.6 billion budget.
Right now, each supervisor represents about 2 million people — more than members of Congress and more than some U.S. senators. The county charter that established the five-member board was created in 1912, when the population was about 500,000.
Changing the size of the board would require a vote of the people.
Proposed ballot measure could nearly double size of LA County Board of Supervisors
Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn, who introduced the proposal at a morning news conference outside the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, said they want their colleagues to place the measure on the November ballot.
“Our residents deserve a seat at the table and to have more of the business of the county done in the daylight,” Horvath said.
“We cannot let another 100 years go by,” the supervisor continued. “We have to ensure the structure of the county meets the needs of today and can be equipped for the challenges of the future.”
Under the proposal, the expansion would begin after the 2030 U.S. Census.
Other reforms proposed
Horvath and Hahn are proposing two other reform measures.
One…
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